Look At This!
By Julia Poppa, North Allegheny Senior High School
January 24, 2020
NASH is home to many aspiring artists, however few come close to exhibiting the unique perspective shared by 11th grade artist, Faith Nguyen. While young for her grade, her talents far exceed the status quo in terms of high school art students. While many art students begin to focus on one form...
“Sex Education” arrives on the issue of toxic masculinity
By Gracie Rowland, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
January 24, 2020
Toxic masculinity: a phrase widely misused and consequently viewed as a fictitious radical idea. However, toxic masculinity does indeed exist, just as toxic femininity. The discussion of these issues is vital, and the unpacking of their detrimental consequences could create a better world. Toxic femininity...
Starbucks Roastery leaves Chicagoans still thirsty
By Alex Miranda, Downers Grove South High School
January 23, 2020
There are countless Starbucks spots in the city of Chicago, but none more popular than the recently opened Starbucks Reserve Roastery on the corner of Michigan and Erie billed “the largest Starbucks in the world.” Approaching the four-story glass enclosure, excitement brews… then comes to a halt....
Little Women: Big message for modern girls
By Emily Webb, Linganore High School
January 23, 2020
I didn’t just watch the Little Women movie or read the classic novel. I lived the story. When my sisters and I would play Little Women, I was always Meg. Jordan, the next oldest, was Jo, Sarah was Beth, and Megan was Amy. Together, we were the empowered, confident, creative March sisters, and we spent ...
Colson Whitehead’s ‘The Nickel Boys’ unearths the bones in America’s racist past
By Jacqueline Barba, Downers Grove South High School
January 23, 2020
To read Colson Whitehead’s “The Nickel Boys” is to come face-to-face not with the Civil Rights Movement but to dip a toe in the pool of unknown horrors that everyday Americans -- in this case, young black boys -- were subjected to without mercy. Through artful character creation and haunting imagery,...
The Difference Between “You” and Me
By Alyssa Bailey, Wentzville Liberty High School
January 23, 2020
With new TV shows and movies on the rise this year, one show, in particular, has brought not only popularity but a psychological discussion of our humanity to the media. Ever heard of “You”? And I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about the hit show revolving around a quiet bookstore clerk,...
Play on Plagiarism
By Snowden Farnsworth, St. George's Independent School
January 22, 2020
“When We Get Good Again” had its world premiere Jan. 10 at Theatreworks at the Square after being workshopped over a year before. It is the eleventh New Works production that Playhouse on the Square has produced after introducing The [email protected] Playwriting Competition in 2011. The production c...
“His Dark Materials” is the next big fantasy show
By Edward Keen, West High School
January 22, 2020
Ever since my younger years, I’ve had an innate fascination with the fantasy genre. To be able to slide into other worlds with their very way of doing things and sets upon sets of magical attributes has always been an exhilarating escapade for me, whether that comes from books, movies, or television sho...
Punk’s not dead
By Rachel Laposka, Starr's Mill High School
January 22, 2020
People often claim that politics and music should not blend together. I strongly disagree with that. If there is one thing that can send a message to today’s youth it is music. The punk scene in music made its debut in the 1970s with bands like Bad Religion, Misfits, and Dead Kennedys. The main...
“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” Review
By Maya Kim, Kirkwood High School
January 21, 2020
Remember that one movie that shot that made your standards for high school incredibly unrealistic? It’s the one with Zac Efron dancing with a basketball in a gym. The one with teens dancing on the lunch tables singing about the status quo. The one with the most iconic dance number in the history of...
This film is ‘Rotten’ but not rotten
By Angus Sewell McCann, McCallum High School
January 21, 2020
The purple and pink-tinted LED lights are set. The handheld DSLR camera rig is rolling. The boom pole is propped over the awaiting actors, and the sound is recording. The director of photography, Bella Rothenflue, films in her bedroom, which is covered in ’80s posters and paraphernalia and filled with...
Awkwafina’s Golden Globes win reminds us that representation matters
By Gina Nguyen, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
January 21, 2020
When Awkwafina took the stage at the Golden Globes earlier this month to accept her award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and became the first person of Asian descent to do so, she looked into the crowd and said, “I told you I’d get a job, Dad.” The crowd broke out in light laughter, but...
Bethesda Row’s newest sweet treat: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
By Lexi Fleck, Walt Whitman High School
January 21, 2020
Jeni Britton Bauer was halfway through college at Ohio State University when she realized that she should incorporate her passion for art history into something bigger — she loved learning, but she thought the school environment wasn’t exciting enough for her. While working at an indoor farmers...
Review: BBC’s New Dracula Series Leaves Viewers Bloodthirsty for More
By Jocelyn Lear, Boyertown Area Senior High
January 17, 2020
Dracula has been a household name for over a century, and the blood-sucking vampire returned this New Year's Day with a 3-episode mini-series on the BBC, created by Sherlock executive producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. The story of Count Dracula from Transylvania has been told by many througho...
Prince’s ‘Purple High’ lives on through his vaulted music
By Hayley Morgan, Minneapolis South High School
January 17, 2020
Despite Prince’s passing three years ago, his legacy continues to live on. Prince’s music has had a major impact on the world, and his death has opened the public eye to many interesting aspects of his life. One of Prince’s biggest mysteries is his secret music vault, which holds thousands of...
All that Glitters isn’t Gold: The Effects of Political Advocation from Hollywood
By Georgia Ruffolo, Academy of the Holy Names
January 16, 2020
A night dedicated to honoring and acknowledging the best films, TV shows, actors and actresses of 2019 also welcomed the advocation of current pressing social issues such as climate change, abortion rights, and the importance of voting in the 2020 presidential election during this year’s Golden Globe...
‘Queen & Slim’ artfully tells inspirational, raw story highlighting police brutality and a biased justice system
By Avery Allen, Henry W Grady High School - Nexus
January 15, 2020
“Queen & Slim” is an artful and enticing story adapted from the real-life threats faced by African-Americans posed by the American justice system, particularly violent confrontations with police officers. Director Melina Matsoukas achieves this through a beautiful pairing of actors and dramatically...
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
By Andrew McLaughlin, North Allegheny Intermediate High School
January 15, 2020
Riding the wave of popularity from the 2018 documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, Sony Pictures has created a tribute to the leader of the classic children’s television show that will warm the hearts of many. Revolving around a heart-hardened journalist’s relations with Mister Rogers and...
Into the mind of a killer
By Elizabeth Hahn, Millard West High School
January 15, 2020
Most agree that love can make people do crazy things, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. However, for the sociopath that audiences love to hate, Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), lust brings out the absolute worst in him. Netflix released a second season to their psychological thriller, You, with even mor...
Gomez’s ‘Rare’ fails to live up to title
By Anthony Cesario, Coppell High School
January 15, 2020
One would think that Selena Gomez, having gone through publicized breakups with high-profile ex-boyfriends Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, dealt with ongoing health struggles including lupus and depression and tackled important issues such as suicide and immigration as an executive producer on the Netflix...
“Bombshell”: Shocking, but not quite explosive
By Grace Burwell, Richard Montgomery High School - MD
January 10, 2020
After much anticipation, I finally sat down to watch Jay Roach’s “Bombshell,” a shocking account of ongoing sexual harassment buried within the inner levels of Fox News that helped ignite future movements such as #MeToo and Time’s Up. The plot starts in 2016, right before Donald Trump is elected...
Art museum works to create more inclusive experience
By Otto Kindel, Walnut Hills High School
January 9, 2020
Since 1881, the Cincinnati Art Museum has been a cornerstone of the Cincinnati community, both in the art it presents to the public and in its ability to provide a space for all Cincinnatians to share. Admission to the museum is free, which already makes it more accessible than many organizations, yet...
The Mandalorian: An excellent execution of a fresh concept in Star Wars
By Gabe Gibert, Grand Center Arts Academy
January 9, 2020
Warning: This review contains major spoilers for the first episode of The Mandalorian and minor spoilers for the next four episodes of The Mandalorian. Read at your own risk. For the sake of clarity, the show The Mandalorian will be referred to as The Mandalorian, and the character will be referred ...
Leaving ‘that phase’ pays for Paramore and Panic! At the Disco
By TJ Ruzicka, Londonderry High School
January 7, 2020
You can sound confident and have anxiety. You can look healthy, but feel awful. You can look happy and be miserable inside. You can be good looking and feel ugly. You can be a band intrinsic in the emo counterculture and then make pop hits without selling out. You ca… wait, you can do...
Country Radio Turns Down the Volume on Female Artists
By Tenley Wright, Millard West High School
January 7, 2020
A study released in April of 2019 revealed that country radio has been edging women out of the format over the last 18 years.The study is the first to use radio airplay data to investigate gender imbalances in country radio. While studies of Billboard charts are valuable for evaluating inequality in a g...
Say hey to Glossier
By Julia Kay Smith, McCallum High School
January 7, 2020
What’s pink, clean, and currently on South Congress? You guessed it! The Glossier pop up store is here, and it's everything you could ever imagine. The interior design, lighting and people combine make the space an exciting experience. The company started as the beauty blog “Into the Gloss,” q...
Review: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Suffers a (Lightsaber) Stab of Bad Storytelling
By Blaze Myers, Boyertown Area Senior High
January 7, 2020
Star Wars is one of the few franchises which can be understated to be epic. Spawned in 1977 by George Lucas in inspiration of Flash Gordon, Star Wars far exceeded all and any expectations by grossing $775 million (nearly $1.4 billion if adjusted for domestic inflation), surpassing Jaws to become the hig...
Labrinth follows his dreams with ‘Imagination & the Misfit Kid’.
By Mason Montano, Pinole Valley High School
January 6, 2020
Following his chart success as a writer and producer, English singer-songwriter Labrinth was signed by music mogul Simon Cowell to his record label, Syco Records, in June 2010. The first recording artist signed by Cowell to not have competed on a talent show in over six years, Labrinth released his debut...
Disney’s stereotype misinterpretations
By Michelle Lin, North Cobb High School
January 6, 2020
When Walt Disney created the Walt Disney Company in 1923, he did not expect his business to become such a huge success with a net worth of nearly $130 billion. With over 200 shows on its cable channel alone and 745 original movies, Disney has become a huge part of childhood. In 1955, a couple of year...
Jojo Rabbit: Sparks of love in a world of hate
By Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks, Shalhevet High School
January 6, 2020
After sitting through an opening scene featuring at least 10 “Heil Hitler”’s, few would expect a film that evokes uncontrollable laughter and tears. Yet in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, that is just what an audience member will take part in. One of the more bizarre premises in recent movie ...
Looking back: The best of the 2010s
By Meera Shroff, Walt Whitman High School
January 6, 2020
The 2010s has been a decade of change. It’s impossible to narrow down all of that change — all of those moments, people and things — to a short list. But there have been a few universal changes more notable than others — changes that have shaped the decade by creating and reflecting what...
“Marriage Story” Arguably Johansson and Driver’s Best Work
By Amy Chen, Beachwood High School
January 6, 2020
In mid-December, after a two-month hiatus from Netflix, I finally caved in and sat down to watch the first thing the web site’s algorithm fed me: Noah Baumbach’s latest production, Marriage Story. Completely unaware of the film’s six recent nominations for the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, I stum...
Cirque du Soleil Dazzles Again
By Amaya Turner, Abington High School
December 30, 2019
Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil has captured hearts around the globe. I’ve seen three of their previous spectacular shows and this month I was lucky enough to see my fourth. On Thursday, Dec. 5, their newest show "Axel" premiered in Worcester at the DCU Center. The show is in every sense of the...
Grooving with Far Out Threads
By Payton DiSario, Ola High School
December 26, 2019
It is inescapable. Legs adorning mom-jeans roam the streets, scrunchies decorate wrists- boys’ and girls’ alike, perms swallow even the tiniest of heads and Doc Martens trudge down the halls. Halloween has already passed, but today’s style seems to have risen from the dead overnight. All the trends...
Decade Wrap-up: How internet culture evolved society
By Nanette Pottoore, Coppell High School
December 20, 2019
Rise and Shine. In this story, I’m going to spill the tea on why the 2010s was an exciting decade for online trends and fads. The internet brought together many people through dances and memorable memes. This decade brought forth a variety of trends that will impact many generations to come. I...
KPOP and JPOP: two completely different branches on the same pop music tree
By Yuzu I. (10), International School of the Sacred Heart
December 20, 2019
KPOP has grown into a worldwide genre. BTS, one of the most renowned groups in the industry has achieved millions of fans known as ARMY worldwide– the group recently won two MTV European Music Awards for “Best Live” and “Best Group”, and their latest tour included more than ten different cities...
Review: Marriage Story
By Avery Lester, Tomball Memorial High School
December 20, 2019
Their names are Charlie and Nicole and they love each other. They live in the crowded New York City and have an 8-year-old son named Henry. They are married but are filing for divorce. The Netflix original Marriage Story, directed by Noah Baumbach, is not only a movie, but a genuine emotional experien...
A Trip to the Circus
By Cedrik von Briel, Woodside High School - CA
December 20, 2019
After four weeks in Redwood City, Zoppé Family Circus is back on the move. The one-ringed, kid-friendly spectacle was in Redwood City's Red Morton Community Park between October 10 and November 3 to feature this year’s show, La Nonna. The Circus prides itself for being a family-run show for mo...
Review and Impact of Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women”
By Adriana James-Rodil and Amelia Cuttle
December 20, 2019
“Little Women” is not set to release in theaters until December 25, yet Multimedia Media Editor Adriana James-Rodil and Contributing Staff Writer Amelia Cuttle saw a Sony Advanced Screening of the movie. As a result, this review explains why “Little Women” is such a timeless classic and why pe...
Decade Wrap-Up: Streaming services dominate decade of change in entertainment
By Anjali Krishna, Coppell High School
December 19, 2019
Today, the idea of settling in to watch television at its programmed time seems odd. Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu rule television, allowing us to watch whenever we want, wherever we want and nearly whatever we want. “When we were little, we only had one TV upstairs and that TV could...
Decade Wrap-Up: World of film transformed during 2010s
By Pramika Kadari, Coppell High School
December 19, 2019
With black actors nominated in each acting category and the LGBT film Moonlight making history by winning Best Picture, the 2017 Academy Awards represented a culmination of numerous progressions occurring in the film industry throughout the past decade. From a shift toward female-led stories to inc...
Decade Wrap Up: Food Trends of the ‘10s.
By Blanche Harris, Coppell High School
December 19, 2019
The 2010’s have been defined by the changes in how we eat and what we eat. People are focused on eating right, cutting carbs, protecting animals by going vegan and sharing everything on social media. Let’s take a look at some of the trends of the decade. Food Delivery Over the past 10 years, people ...
Decade Wrap-Up: Modern media creates personalized listener experience
By Shravya Mahesh, Coppell High School
December 18, 2019
In September 2012, Apple released the first ever EarPods - a redesign of the standard earbuds the company had offered since 2001. In October 2019, Apple announced the AirPods Pro - wireless, noise cancelling earbuds that fit comfortably into the listener’s ear. The evolution of headphones speaks volum...
Decade Wrap-Up: Literary look back at decade’s growth
By Anika Arutla, Coppell High School
December 18, 2019
As a recently turned 18-year-old, the past decade is what I consider to be the growing point of my life. Throughout these years, I have learned more about myself and about the world, mostly thanks to the relatable characters, fantasy lands and underlying lessons that books provided. Whether it be...
Chick flicks fall short
By Joey Clark, Smithson Valley High School
December 17, 2019
In my house, the holiday season doesn’t truly start until my mom starts binging Hallmark movies in the living room. Every so often I’ll indulge in watching one with her, and every year, she is overjoyed by the cheesiness, and I feel like I’m watching an identical plot with the same C-list cast...
REVIEW: Murder and faith at the forefront of Scorsese’s newest film, “The Irishman”
By Jackson Schou, Pleasant Valley High School
December 17, 2019
Based off of the true story and novel “I Heard You Paint Houses,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” is a compelling narrative centered around family, sacrifice, and revenge, as Philly truck driver Frank Sheeran finds his way into organized crime. Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) winds himself...
The mandalorian gives a shocking backstory on all things star wars
By Alek Marcussen, Plano Senior High School
December 17, 2019
The Mandalorian dropped alongside its platform, Disney Plus, and quickly enamored fans with its novel take on Star Wars. The Mandalorian is a breath of fresh air into an otherwise semi-repetitive series. However, this does not make the story completely different and abstract from the traditional Star...
Review: Harry Styles just wants to be known
By Amelia Foster, Robinson High School
December 17, 2019
There is quite frankly nothing more daunting and inescapable than figuring out who you are, but Harry Styles conquers that fear with an entire album, Fine Line. Embedded in each part of the album, whether it's the explosive first single "Light's Up" or the opener "Golden," Styles is screaming to be ...
Yes, we know what you’re saying
By Hayden Fish, West Linn High School
December 17, 2019
After the underwhelming and missed release dates for multiple large names of rap this Sept., I was left hungry for more. Danny Brown satisfies that hunger with his clever, tight and concise early Oct. album “uknowhatimsayin¿” Brown has been a wildcard in the rap game since his 2012 album “X...
Junior set for national esport semifinals
By Aaron Boehmer and Kirthi Gummadi
December 17, 2019
Eight weeks of a regular season, playoffs, and pre-quarterfinals prepared junior Andy Trinh for his quarterfinal win on Wednesday. Next up for Trinh is the High School Esports League’s national semifinals on Sunday. “Esports to me, is a competition based on video games, but the thing about esports is [it’s]...